When the sun and the moon meet
by AriatheAlpha
Summary: Lainym, a newly evolved Espeon, has spent her life hearing stories about Umbreon, the creatures of darkness. She flees her village to look for adventure and winds up in the poké city of Rootsprey. With nowhere to go, she joins an exploration league. Everything's great, until she meets Zeake, a snarky Umbreon. Can they both work together to save the Sha'ac islands from destruction?
1. Chapter 1

The first sounds were the chirping Taillow, waiting for their mothers. Then, came the rough rustling of the grass as Rattata and Raticate ran about. The slight _whoosh_ of the wings of Butterfree and Dustox could be heard above your head if you listened carefully. Yes. Yet another day had begun at Groomdusk village.

A young Eevee rose up from her warm hammock made out of fresh leaves, her ears pricked. The sound of Butterfrees' wings was always the one thing she heard most, despite everyone saying they couldn't hear any Butterfree at all. Some believed there weren't even Butterfree there to begin with. She would usually just shrug and keep her firm belief that they were there, and she heard them. Slowly creeping out of her hammock, which was placed strategically low so she wouldn't fall off a great distance in her sleep, she dropped down to the ground as quietly as she could. Being careful not to wake the other Eevee, she carefully opened the wooden door to the big tent.

Stepping out into the warm sun, she smiled as she let it envelop every inch of her bright brown fur. Ah, this is the life! She scanned her surroundings like she did every morning. Groomdusk was a small village that never changed much with the years. It was known for being one of the oldest Espeon village around. There were a few tents made of mostly wood and dried palm leaves from the trees on the area, each housing up to fifteen Eevee and Espeon. Her tent, however, was the only one with more Eevee than Espeon. Twitching her nose, she remembered she was wasting time thinking about the obvious. Without missing a beat, she hurried along the dirt path to the main square of the village.

It was a rustic little area, with pebbles covering the floor in the center. A medium-sized statue of a fierce-looking pokemon, not much taller than two full-grown Espeon, stood on the pebbles, with a small pond beneath it. She remembered her mother telling her once that it was a village tradition, that when two Espeon chose each other as mates, they should host a ceremony and perform the sacred ritual in front of the statue to get the sun's blessing. The young Eevee wondered what it would be like to meet her mate as Espeon.

"...Well,well! Look who we have here!" A hoarse voice sounded from behind her.

Excitedly, the Eevee spun around to greet one of the elders of the village. It was an old female Espeon by the name of Enainus. She quickly bowed in respect, as it was custom in the village.

"Lainym, why are you up so early today? Usually, we elders don't start coming until 6." She chuckled to herself and gestured to the stone sundial next to the statue, which was used to tell the time in the village. Another Espeon of around her same age approached them. Lainym recognized him as Enainus's mate, Gasath. Ever since she was an egg, Enainus and Gasath had cared for her in the moments her parents were too busy. She wasn't left alone a lot, it's just her parents had a lot of work to do, tending for the village and all, or so she had always been told by Enainus as she craddled the young Eevee in her front paws. Since her grandparents had already passed away before she was born, she liked to refer to Enainus as her grandmother. Lainym flashed a cheerful smile.

"Sorry, grandma! I guess I went to sleep earlier last night!"

Enainus smiled tenderly. "Just take care of yourself, little one. Remember, we are always here in case you have nightmares..." Lainym nodded, then remembered something important. Something from the night before. She proceeded to stare at Gasath expectantly. The elderly Espeon chuckled.

"Oh, I know you're curious, young Kricketot, but do you really want to hear another this early in the morning?"

Lainym pouted. "Come on grandpa, you promised!"

He tilted his dead down in defeat. "Alright, alright, let me think of one..." With slight difficulty, Gasath walked over to the pokemon statue at the center of the square and sat down next to it. Laynim padded over to him, followed by Enainus. Gasath's violet eyes shone with excitement. "Say, have you ever heard the legend of the Umbreon?"

Lainym tilted her head to one side. "'Umbreon'? What's that?"

Gasath chuckled. "Oh, this is a good one." He cleared his throat, and even with his voice weak and horse, he began.

"Ages ago, long, long before our time, Kricketot, the sun and the moon were in a fierce war. On one side, there were us, the creatures of light, Espeon. On the other... were the creatures of the shadows, our opposites... Umbreon. I believe you haven't seen an Umbreon before, even in our library's picture books. There used to be long ago, Kricketot, and I remember reading them, but then the elders of my time decided to take them away. Something about them being a bad influence? You see, Umbreon are the very embodiment of darkness. Their bodies are dark, with their eery red eyes staring, draining away everything-"

"Gasath! You'll scare the poor child!" Enainus glared at her mate from where she was standing near the statue.

Gasath turned to look at Lainym. The Eevee had a startled look on her face.

"Are Umbreon... really that evil?"

The elder male chuckled. "Oh, do not worry, Kricketot. No one has seen an Umbreon around for almost a century."

Lainym stared at the ground. "But even so... no one's ever left the village much to look for one." She gasped. "Could they... still be around?!"

"Hold on, let me finish."

Lainym sat down eagerly to listen to the rest of the story. Gasath cleared his old throat once more.

"Like I was saying, the Umbreon were our enemies in that bloody battle. They were seeking to gain control of this territory by force... So they could envelop it in their darkness. Of course, we as a tribe of Espeon who hold the power of the sun, could not let that happen. We fought, but their numbers were vast. We were going to lose the battle, we thought. There just weren't enough of us. Then, when we thought all was lost..."

Lainym started bouncing up and down excitedly. "What? What?"

Gasath chuckled and gestured for her to sit down with his paw. "Now, now, Kricketot, settle down. I'm just getting there." He sighed deeply, as if he was trying to remember. "...When all hope was lost, the great Solgaleo appeared before us. He destroyed the horde of Umbreon and saved us, and to this day we are thankful to Him."

Lainym grinned, her eyes shining. "The great Solgaleo... He was truly amazing!"

Gasath smiled and looked up at the big statue behind them. It looked like a large, pale Pyroar, but much more mighty and strong. "That statue... it was made before I was born, before my parents and before my grandparents. It was to honour the great Solgaleo. He is our savior."

Lainym looked at her paws. "...But then, where does Arceus come in?"

Gasath ruffled the fur on the top of her head. "You will son catch up to that on your religion studies, Kricketot." Lainym smiled at him as Enainus observed them, her tail moving in the air.

"Nym! What are you doing?!" A voice shouted from afar. Lainym, already used to this situation, stood up immediately, her ears perked. Another Eevee about her own age came running up to her. Lainym's muscles relaxed as she recognized her best friend.

"Oh, hi Caidea..." She attempted to smile, but the other Eevee was too fast and was already pushing her forward.

"I've been looking all over for you! Come on, we'll be late for the lessons!" Caidea struggled as pushed her friend forward, who wasn't really moving at all.

Lainym's eyes widened as she processed what Caidea had just said. "Ah!" She turned to her foster grandparents. "Bye-bye! I gotta go to my lessons!"

Enainus smiled tenderly. "Goodbye, little one."

Gasath chuckled. "We'll be seeing you, then!"

As the two Eevee ran out of sight toward the large tent at the back of the village, Gasath grunted with pleasure as he stretched his front paws. "Ah... Let's go back, my paws are killing me..."

Enainus chuckled. "It seems in some time it probably _will_ kill you if you keep going out on nightly walks to the food stock!"

As the morning went by slowly, it seemed nothing could go wrong. Life was peaceful and monotonous, and that was good, Lainym was told. It avoided any unnecessary interaction with the outside world, they kept their traditions and cultures together, and it was just generally easier. Soon, another generation would be born and the cycle would start again. And again. _And again._ That's how it was in their village, Lainym was told, and that was how it would ever be. Still, Lainym couldn't help but feel, deep within her, that something was coming.

Maybe not now. Maybe in a long time. But it was coming, and it would shake the village, their beliefs, and hers down to their very core.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, class." An adult female Espeon projected her voice to the large group of Eevee in front of her.

"Good morning, instructor Adyss." The horde of Eevee answered their instructor.

Instructor Adyss nodded, a signal that she accepted their greeting. She cleared her throat. "Well. Today, we will be moving onto something different from the usual. Can anyone guess what it is?" She asked with a cheerful smile. Though assertive and even sometimes a little strict, instructor Adyss always tried to be upbeat to encourage her pupils.

A few Eevee raised their paws in the air, some more confident, with their paws fully outstretched, and others not so much, their paws only slightly above their chests. The instructor took a few steps towards the group.

"Caidea." She turned to a small Eevee in the middle. Caidea tilted her head in thought.

"Umm... hunting?" She stared at her tutor expectantly.

The Espeon shook her head calmly, still smiling. "No, but perhaps when you're older." She turned to another Eevee. "Monnar."

The shy male's ears dropped behind his head. "Uh... um... don't eat blue Magikarp?"

Instructor Adyss chuckled and shook her head. "I think that's more of a common sense one."

Suddenly, a female voice spoke up from beside Caidea. "Is it about evolution, instructor?"

Instructor Adyss smiled. "Yes, Lainym. Well done. Yes, evolution is the most important change a pokemon goes through. Tell me pupils, can all pokemon evolve?"

The group let out a long 'No' while shaking their heads, some rather exaggeratedly. The Espeon sat down in front of them.

"Not all pokemon can evolve, but you can, because you are Eevee, known as the evolution pokemon."

The class uttered an "Ooh!" to match her tone. Instructor Adyss laughed. "Yes. As you all know, your evolution ceremony will take place in about 6 moons, and then, you will all be able to evolve into Espeon and officially become part of our clan!"

The class cheered, and the air was filled with excited whispers and giggles. The instructor smiled.

"And, you must also know that after you evolve, the next step should be to find your mates. Who knows, they could be sitting right next to you!"

"Ew!" cried a younger Eevee at the end. The group laughed, including instructor Adyss. The Espeon then made her way to the front of the room, where a large wooden board was placed. "Of course I'm just joking, you don't have to fins mates right way, but the way I've seen things here, it doesn't usually take long..." She smirked, hinting at the Eevee. Some giggled, others' faces grew as red as razz berry. She lifted a piece of burnt wood from the desk with her Telekinesis and started writing the title and date in footprint runes.

"But instructor, what if I don't want a mate?" The whole class gasped and turned to the the Eevee in the middle. Miss Adyss put down the burnt wood on the desk again.

"What was that, Lainym?" She turned to the young Eevee who just blurted that out. Lainym looked down at her paws.

"W-well, it's just that finding a mate seems kind of... I don't really like any of the males here... Um, no offense guys." She flashed an apologetic smile around the class. The Espeon, always with her signature patience, chuckled and smiled.

"Now, now. You of all Eevee should know, that as future leader, you will definitely need a mate. You might not be interested in anyone right now, because you're still young, but that will change in the future, trust me."

A worried expression took over Lainym's face. "But... if I marry, I'll be stuck here forever, right?"

Instructor Adyss's face took on a more serious expression. "Lainym, I'm not really the one who should be having this conversation with you, but since you are the daughter of Taenan and Erezel, our leaders, you must remain in the village. Your role is to become the next leader after them."

Lainym stood up boldly, an odd sense of courage overtaking her body for just that moment. "W-what if I don't wanna be the leader?" The class stared at her wide-eyed. Instructor Adyss stepped right up to her.

"We will continue this conversation after class. With your parents."

"But..!"Lainym's ears dropped behind her head in frustration. She wanted to defend herself, but she knew better than to talk back to instructor Adyss too much. Her patience had a well-defined limit. As the Espeon returned to the board and continued with her usual lessons, all Lainym wanted to do was just up and leave. But, since she couldn't do that, she figured just pretending she was listening was the best option.

* * *

"I don't know what's gotten into her. It's not the first time she expressed this kind of behaviour, but..."

Lainym played with the stick in her paw, drawing circles in the dirt as she heard her mother talking to instructor Adyss. Caidea had left a few moments ago, so she had no one to play with. She decided to be honest to herself and admit that she feared her future. She would be stuck here forever? Watching over this village that would remain the same forever? She didn't want that. She wanted to go out and see the world, see what it had in store for her! But she couldn't. Because she would always be the daughter of Taenan. No matter how much she fought and rebelled, that would never change.

The door creaked open, and Lainym jumped. Her father stepped out first, his bright stern eyes looking at hers, his expression hard to read. "We have much to talk about at home, young Eevee." Without another word, he turned his attention to the path ahead and started walking. Lainym's mother stepped out of the door herself and gestured for her daughter to follow along. The young Eevee stared at the ground as she walked beside her mother. Erezel turned to her daughter.

"Sweetie, you know your behaviour today wasn't the best, right?" Her shiny violet eyes looked tenderly at Lainym.

The Eevee sighed. "But mom... It's so unfair..."

Erezel sighed deeply. "I know it might look unfair to you. Believe it or not, I had the same doubts when I was your age."

Lainym looked up at her mother. "Isn't there anyone else that can be the leader instead of me?"

Her mother stopped in her tracks, and Lainym soon followed. Erezel looked off at the path, a stern look on her face. "Lainym."

The young Eevee slightly cringed at hearing her own name mentioned. Erezel still had that distant look, but Lainym felt as if she still had her full focus on her.

"You must understand that not everything in life is about you." Lainym opened her mouth to respond to her, but her mother cut her off.

"Tell me, if the clan stopped having a leader to guide them, what do you think might happen?"

Lainym tilted her head in thought, then thought of a good answer. "Everyone would be free, right? They could go wherever they want, and do whatever they want!" She smiled at the thought. However, Erezel remained silent.

"Lainym, remember that everyone in this village does something specific. Some hunt, some gather berries, others build and weave our tents. Some are mentors to the young, like instructor Adyss. If this clan stops having a leader, then that means there is no one to tell them what to do."

Lainym stared at her silently. Her mother turned her gaze to her.

"That must seem good to you, right? Well let me tell you it might result in more disaster than it looks."

The Eevee felt goosebumps at her tone.

"With no one to tell them what to do, they could be free to do whatever they want. Meaning, an Espeon could feel free to take another's food. Or hurt another Espeon. Or worse."

Lainym stared at her mom in shock, not really knowing how to respond to that. Erezel looked her daughter in the eyes.

"Do you understand now, Lainym? They need a leader. They need someone to keep the peace. And if you leave, this place will become a chaos. This is the real reason you must stay and become the leader after your father I." She looked deep into her daughter's eyes, as if pleading for her to understand. "You must protect our village. From ourselves, if necessary.

Lainym dropped her ears behind her head and started walking with her mother again. Her father was probably already at their tent, and she knew the lecture she was about to get now would be ten times worse.

* * *

As the days and weeks went by, the little Eevee spent her days at the back of the class. Away from the group. Lost in her thoughts.

She stared out the windows in the confined lecture tent, at the fluffy white clouds decorating the cerulean sky. She could only but imagine the magnificent worlds that might exist way beyond the peaceful grasslands of her village.

Was there any place that an adventurous little Eevee like her, tied to a destiny she didn't want, could ever be happy?


	3. Chapter 3

Today was a day to remember. It was _the_ day. The day that the Eevee who had grow up together in the same pupil group could finally be allowed to join the clan officially.

As Caidea struggled with the fancy bows on her ears, her friend looked out the tent window at the main square eagerly. It was still very early. The sky was still dark, and the only thing illuminating them was the lone candle inside their tent. However, they both new that was the point, because all Espeon evolve in the light of the morning sun. They were both very tired, but too excited to show it. It was Caidea who insisted they get up before anyone else to get ready, though.

"Nym, could you stop staring at the statue and help me here?" Caidea was struggling to tie another bow around her ear, but it ended up going around her head instead. When enough pressured was applied, in an instant, all the bows came undone. Lainym snickered.

"Why do you even bother putting those on? Our bodies are going to change and those will squeeze the life out of you."

Caidea scowled. "At least _I_ want to look pretty today."

Lainym smiled and rolled her bright brown eyes at her. "My beauty cannot be captured by a mere ribbon," she said in her best ancient monk impersonation. "Just take those off." Caidea giggled and sighed dreamily.

"I can't wait for the party tonight. It'll be so great..."

Lainym stared at her. "You mean you're waiting for some male to sweep you off your feet?"

Caidea's cheeks grew bright red. "I... I didn't mean it like that, I'm just excited about the... food! Yeah, that's it! The food will be great!" She smiled brightly at Lainym, who in turn laughed.

The ceremonial horn blew off in the distance, demanding that all Eevee come to the square. Caidea could barely restrain herself from squealing. Lainym was more of a carefree Eevee, but as much as she wouldn't admit it, she felt like squealing too. This was the moment they had all been waiting for since they were born. Soon, the square started to fill up with her Eevee colleagues and their proud parents. Lainym couldn't help but notice how they had all changed, even after 8 moons. Even Monnar, the shy little Eevee from her group, had grown slightly taller and more mature. Lainym often found herself talking to him after lessons when Caidea wasn't around, and she was often teased for it.

There was a small stage set up on the pebbled floor. As the crowd of Eevee at the front whispered among themselves excitedly, Lainym and Caidea included, the elders of the clan made their way to the stage. Instructor Adyss accompanied them and climbed up to the very front. She tapped the wood with her paw three times, and almost a quarter of a second later all heads turned to her. The instructor cleared her throat.

"Friends and parents. We are gathered here today to celebrate the welcoming of yet another generation of Espeon into our clan."

The crowd cheered on cue and most of it came from the Eevee themselves.

Instructor Adyss motioned for silence with her paw, and the crowd soon followed. "Very well. As we all know, these Eevee have been working hard for most of their young lives, learning about the environment around them and the history of our clan. Today, when the sun rises, the great Solgaleo shall decide which Eevee are worthy of receiving the blessing of the sun and finally evolve."

The crowd broke into whispers. Lainym hated this part. She knew that it was possible that not all Eevee evolved today. She feared one of those could be her, mostly because of her feelings of resentment toward becoming leader. But these past moons, she had been working so hard... She would wake up every morning to gather berries in the highest trees of the woods. She would go out after lessons to train with local wild Rattata and Raticate. She would try to get stronger every day, every day she would tell herself that she would impress the great Solgaleo and prove her worth. But... what if that wasn't enough?

The sun was beginning to shine in the distance. The Eevee arranged themselves in rows and columns in front of the stage, like they had rehearsed before a few times, each knowing their correct placement and marking. Lainym could already feel her heart beat faster. One of the elders, a female, stepped forward beside instructor Adyss. She raised her head to the sky.

"O, great Solgaleo, the beast that devours the sun... Bless these Eevee with your power! Give their bodies the strength to change!"

All Eevee knew that that was the signal for everyone to close their eyes. Lainym hurriedly closed hers, praying to Arceus that she would be able to evolve.

She already heard the first flash in front of her, meaning one of the Eevee had already starting evolving. It was soon followed by another flash. Then another. _Then another._ Finally, she could even hear Caidea's body right beside her being enveloped in a flash. It seemed everyone was evolving, but Lainym still felt nothing.

 _Come on... Please... Let me evolve..._ Lainym gritted her teeth as she tried to concentrate more. It couldn't be... That after all these years of training, she wasn't going to evolve after all? Was it all for nothing? She could almost feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes. _Great Solgaleo... Please... I know I was selfish. Please... let me evolve..._

 _FLASH!_

That flash seemed to be closer than the others. She pricked her ears, trying to search for the source of the sound, when she noticed how they felt much longer. All of a sudden, she felt bare in her chest area. She touched her neck with her paw and noticed that her light colored fluffy patch of fur was gone. Her tail no longer felt heavy and furry like it always was. It seemed to get thinner and thinner until it split in two at the end. Finally, she touched her forehead, only to find a round gem growing on it. She could already hear some of the Espeon parents cheering. Lainym opened her eyes.

"Nym! Look at us!" Lainym turned to her right and met with a pair of sparkling violet eyes. She jumped in surprise.

"C-Caidea...?" Lainym stumbled on her own tall legs and fell on her bottom. Caidea giggled.

"Look! We evolved!" Lainym's best friend, now an Espeon, smiled with her eyes closed, her tail moving around behind her. Lainym looked down at herself.

Her fur was a bright shade of lilac. It was short and soft to the touch. She turned around and looked at her tail. It was the same shade of lilac, but just as she felt during evolution, it forked at the very end. She felt her ears. They were definitely longer than before, and they now had a large chunk of fur each growing from each. Lainym looked around and spotted two or three Eevee who weren't able to evolve, their ears dropped behind their heads and their parents trying to comfort them. Some Eevee, now Espeon started gather near the pond to have a better look at their new bodies. Caidea and Lainym followed them and poked their heads through the crowd.

Lainym was startled at her own reflection at first. She had been so used to looking in the water and staring at brown eyes and brown fur. Seeing that lilac body moving along with her, those violet, shining eyes staring back at her own, it all felt so foreign to her.

"Sweetie!"

Lainym pulled her head out of the group of new Espeon and turned around. Her mother was padding up to her, followed by her father.

"We're so proud of you!" Her mother smiled tenderly and nuzzled her cheek. Lainym happily returned the affection. She then turned to her father.

Taenan smiled slightly. "Well done, my daughter." Lainym felt happy enough to demonstrate public affection to just about anyone now, and that's just what she did with her father.

The leader of the clan was startled at first when he felt his daughter's head under his chin, but he soon gave in and chuckled. The wooden stage was tapped three times, calling everyone's attention once more. This time, it was one of the elderly Espeon, the one who made the prayer to the Great Solgaleo. "Congratulations to all of the Eeevee - now Espeon - who have worked all their lives for this moment. May the next generation of Espeon continue to flourish like the ones before them did!"

While the Espeon cheered, Caidea turned to Lainym and her parents. "What are you all doing there? Let's go to the fair to celebrate!"

The sun had settled more clearly in the sky now. The village had been decorated to fit the day's happy occasion. A large party was planned deep in the forest, which was about as far from the village anyone was allowed to go. There would be music, food and lots of dancing and partying, or so they were all told. The leaders of the village, following behind their daughter and Caidea, made their way through the square toward the forest path. As Lainym approached the stage, she bumped into a familiar male.

"...Lainym?"

"Monnar!" She cried cheerfully. The male Espeon looked up at her.

"Hey, Lainym. This is going to take some getting used, huh?" He motioned to his own paws. Lainym giggled and nodded in agreement. She was too excited to compose herself right now. _Thank you, great Solgaleo._ She lifted her head and smiled to the sky. Caidea stepped in between the two of them.

"Sorry to interrupt the two lovebirds, but there's a party going on and I'm not about to miss it." Monnar's face reddened and Lainym rolled her eyes playfully.

The day went on, except everything was so... different. The newly evolved Espeon mostly had the hang of their new bodies a few hours from then, while others still tripped on their own feet while running. Lainym watched the world around her. As she realized she was maturing physically and as a Pokemon, her childhood days of feeling trapped and misunderstood as an Eevee seemed to be fading from her memory. Only time would really tell if they would really be gone.

* * *

Taenan stepped into the tent where her mate was already carrying plates in her mouth and setting up dinner. Since the party started at sunrise, everyone had come back at around midday, but most of the young Espeon were still out partying. A selection of berries and freshly caught Magikarp decorated the round wooden table. This worked up Taenan's apetite, and he approached his mate to ask when they could start eating, since he knew his daughter was still at the party. Unfortunately, Erezel remembered she had something to tell him first. Something important.

"Taenan, I believe we have to have a conversation with Lainym soon."

The leader tilted his head. "About what? She only just evolved." Erezel sighed and nodded, but continued talking nonetheless.

"I know she just evolved, but we need to have a talk with her."

Taenan stared at his mate. "What is it? You look pale. Is something wrong?"

Erezel met her mate's worried eyes. "...They accepted, Taenan. They'll be visiting tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry I didn't update! It's just the first three chapters were written before I published the story, so I uploaded them much faster. I had no wifi for a few days, but no more excuses I guess. Well, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Lainym opened her eyes. The sun shone brightly through the small windows of the tent; it was already midday. _How come I overslept?_ , She decided to get a move on. She swung her hind legs over her hammock and stretched out her front paws to meet the ground, but instead her face met it too. She coughed up the dirt and looked up, to find that she had fallen flat on her face. _I don't understand, I never weighed much..._ Then, she realized that she was no longer the small Eevee she used to be. She was an Espeon now, and she was definitely heavier. She shook her head and dragged herself up to the ajar door and pushed it open.

The sun enveloped her body like it did every morning, but never did it feel so great. It was true that Espeon were creatures of the light and loved the sun, but Lainym never got to experience it until now. She closed her eyes and lifted her head up to the sky, mentally saying good morning to the sun and the great Solgaleo. Suddenly, she was snapped back to reality when she heard murmurs ahead of her. She opened her eyes again and saw a group of female Espeon giggling and whispering to themselves. Lainym detested gossip with her whole being, but if the whole village seemed to be talking about something, it might as well be worth checking it out.

Lainym took a few steps towards the females, without alerting them to her presence. She could overhear a few things about some Espeon that just came into the village. Wait, and Espeon who came in? But Groomdusk never allows anyone from outside to come in. What is going on?

"...Oh my Arceus, did you see his pelt? It's green!"

"Yeah, like, how is that possible?"

"But it looks so hot on him..."

Lainym sighed after hearing the last comment. Then, she rewinded to the first one. He has... green pelt? That can't be normal. Now she had to see for sure.

She made her way to the main square, and she confirmed the rumors to be true. Indeed, standing in front of the Solgaleo statue, was a green Espeon. _A green Espeon._ Lainym couldn't believe her eyes. How was something like that possible? It couldn't be berry juice, no berry could leave such a strong mark on his pelt. There were also other Espeon surrounding him, which seemed to be with him. Of course, there were also females from the village asking him questions.

"So, um, you're from the village nearby?"

The green Espeon flashed a half-grin. "Why, yes. I came here to Groomdusk for rather... personal reasons."

The females squealed. Lainym sighed in annoyance from her spot. Unfortunately, she was a bit too loud, and the green Espeon turned around and met her eyes. He smiled sympathetically and starting walking towards her.

 _Oh, please... I was about to have a good day..._ To be polite, Lainym put on her best smile, which the green Espeon reciprocated.

"So, I have a feeling you're someone important here. May I have your name?"

Lainym could sense he was trying to be nice, but there was something about him that really annoyed her. "Uh... I'm Lainym."

The green Espeon's face lit up. "Oh, so you're Taenan's daughter. It is an honor to meet you." Without missing a beat, he grabbed her left paw and gave it a slobbery kiss. Lainym tried her best not to show any disgust in her face, but the fact that the other females were squealing as they watched this didn't really help. Lainym cleared her throat.

"Yes, well... How do you know my father?"

The green Espeon seemed to not hear her at all. "Ah! How rude of me, I completely forgot to formally introduce myself!" He stood up tall and bowed to her. "I am Vakos of Ladowl village."

 _...You're who from what village?_ Lainym was beginning to think he was trying too much, but the poor guy seemed too dumb to notice it. She then asked the question no one dared to up until now.

"...Why is your pelt green?"

Vakos seemed dazed, then snapped back when he met her questioning look. "Oh. Well, sometimes it happens that Eevee are born a different color than the others, and that continues even after they evolve into Espeon. That is considered sacred and a sign that the great Solgaleo has chosen them to lead. And well, here I am."

Lead? It couldn't be... "'Lead'? So... You're the leader of your village?"

"Well, I'm not the leader yet. I can only become the leader once I marry a worthy female and obtain my parents's final consent. You should probably know this, since you're next as leader of Groomdusk, right Lainam?"

An annoyed expression took over the referred Espeon's face. "Lainym. And yes, I know that in order to become the next leader, I have to marry. But I've never found anyone I want to spend my life with..."

Vakos gave her a half-grin. "I believe that wait is over."

Lainym lifted her head to meet his confident eyes. "Pardon?"

The green Espeon chuckled. "I think I'll let your parents explain later." He turned to the three Espeon with him, and together they headed to the local shop.

Watching them go, Lainym couldn't help but wonder what he meant when he said that 'the wait is over'. She thought he was flirting with her at first, but it now seemed to her that he meant something else. But what could it be...?

 _BONG! BONG!_

She was snapped out of her reveries when she heard the bell ring in the tower, indicating it was time for her classes. These were different from her normal classes as an Eevee, though. Here, the newly evolved Espeon were learning how to use Psychic moves for the first time.

* * *

Miss Adyss walked around the large arena, looking at her pupils. "Well, today we're going to focus on something more challenging. Now you're going to learn to use _real_ psychic moves."

Lainym could hear the group of Espeon behind her whispering to themselves excitedly. Caidea tapped her shoulder from beside her.

"Do you think we'll be learning the certain-death moves?"

A chuckle could be heard from behind them. Lainym turned around and spotted Monnar walking towards them. "No, I don't think they teach those here. Psychic moves tend to go more on a defensive stance than an offensive one. For example, moves like Amnesia and Barrier raise defense and-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little lesson Monnar, but I'm afraid _I'm_ the instructor here."

Monnar dropped his ears behind his head and looked up at miss Adyss, muttering an apology. The older espeon nodded, continuing the lesson.

"Very well. Today, I asked some of the maintenance team to set up some obstacles around the arena. Your task is quite simple." Miss Adyss walked closer to the group of young espeon, looking at each of them in the eye. "You are to get through the obstacle course before any of your friends. So yes, it is a race."

Some of the males were grinning and muttering to themselves excitedly. Lainym looked to her left, only to find an annoyed Caidea.

"I hate races..."

Monnar seemed excited too, but he suddenly tilted his head. "Wait, what does this have to do with learning psychic moves?"

Miss Adyss's eyes shone. "Yes Monnar, you have asked the question I was waiting for. What does this have to do with Psychic moves?" Miss Adyss started circling the group, her violet eyes transcending an expression of excitement, but she was still as calm and collected as always. "Well, you see, it's not so much the race, but rather, the drawback."

The females started whispering to themselves once more. Lainym decided to speak this time.

"A... drawback?"

Miss Adyss smiled. "Yes. The drawback is also quite simple. You must get through the obstacle course. The drawback itself is right in front of you _._ "

Some females gasped. Lainym, Caidea and Monnar looked around at the course. It was long. And filled with tall wooden hurdles, small, slippery ice walls and climbing nets that didn't even touch the ground. There was even a puddle of water beneath the ropes, and they were very spread out. Jumping to grab one without falling into the water seemed near impossible.

One of the males stepped forward. "This is crazy! How are we supposed to get through this thing?"

Lainym thought for a moment. How to get through?

"With our psychic abilities.", said a voice to her right. It was, of course, Monnar.

Miss Adyss smiled. "Precisely, Monnar. You must combine your psychic moves with your physical capacity, and only then will you be able to get through the course and win the race."

The same male who had spoken before turned to miss Adyss again. "What? But we don't know any!"

Miss Adyss chuckled. "Oh, you don't? Maybe you are wondering why I haven't taught you any actual psychic moves yet. Well, psychic abilities come deep from the mind. The mind of every espeon is different, so their learning of their own abilities is different. We decided that, in order to not waste time going through every learning style, we let our acolytes find out their abilities for themselves."

The males groaned in annoyance, and even Caidea joined in. Lainym chuckled.

"Oh well. It seems fun to have a challenge anyway."

Miss Adyss smiled. "That's the spirit, Lainym. So, which of you will volunteer as the first six Espeon to race?"

Almost the whole group stepped back, except Lainym and Monnar. Lainym turned around to glare at her best friend. Caidea shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. You have fun with Monnar."

Caidea thought she could actually get out of this one, but Lainym kept glaring at her. She knew the future leader had those looks that could convince anyone, but this was ridiculous. Some of the espeon were staring at the both of them now. Caidea sighed and slowly walked over to her friend.

"Fine... but you owe me one."

Lainym grinned. "Thanks, Caidea."

Miss Adyss looked around. "Well? We only have three participants. We need six to get started."

The group of about 20 espeon still made no motion to move anywhere. Miss Adyss started to shift into a more serious tone.

"We could stay here all day. It's not like I have anything to do this afternoon." She casually sat down and eyed the group of nervous espeon.

Finally, after a long and awkward silence between the espeon, one of the males stepped forward. "Whatever. It's just a stupid race."

Another male stepped forward, followed by a female. Miss Adyss smiled with satisfaction.

"That's better. Now come line up at the start."

The group of six espeon followed their instructor to a roughly marked white line on the floor. Beyond it was the first obstacle, the tall wooden hurdles. As Lainym took a closer look, she gulped. She instantly regretted showing a happy-go-lucky attitude at the beginning. How could she get through that? There weren't even any holes underneath for her to sneak through. And going around them wasn't allowed, as the first law of common sense. Lainym turned to Monnar.

"How are we going to get through this? I have no idea how to use any psychic abilities!"

Monnar didn't seem too show any sign of fear or nervousness. "Remember what Miss Adyss said. Psychic powers come from within our brains, so I think the first thing we need to do is concentrate and do something along the line of telling the object what to do. We're espeon, this should come naturally to us."

As much as Lainym was nervous, she had to admit he was right. She was an espeon. She was supposed to live and breathe psychic energy. It _would_ come to her. What was there to be afraid of?

"Are you all ready?" Miss Adyss positioned herself beside the right end of the marked line, holding a makeshift red flag.

Caidea was visibly shaking, while the two males that volunteered as well as the female seemed indifferent, probably assuming there was no point in trying since they would loose anyway. Monnar was trying hard to concentrate as he got into a pouncing position. Lainym decided to do the same.

"Ready... Set... Start!" Miss Adyss swung the flag toward the floor, signaling the beginning of the race.

Lainym felt a surge of power on her hind legs, and when she pushed them, she felt herself spring and glide through the air before hitting the ground almost three feet away from the starting point. She still hadn't gotten used to her longer and stronger legs. She kept running, but all the while, it felt more like flying.

She looked behind her and saw Monnar almost catching up to her, with Caidea behind him. Soon, Lainym and Monnar reached the hurdles together. Lainym was forced to stop before she crashed into them. She turned around once more and saw the other three espeon getting nearer. If she didn't figure out a way to get through those hurdles, they would catch up! Lainym focused on the hurdle in front of her. She remembered what Monnar told her about focusing and telling the object what to do. _I want it to move... I want it to fall!_

Lainym kept concentrating, but as far as she could see, the hurdle still didn't give way. This wouldn't do. Caidea and the other espeon were already at the hurdles, and Monnar seemed to be deep in thought. Lainym concentrated harder, but to no avail. Why wasn't it working?

After getting too frustrated with her psychic abilities, Lainym stepped back and got into a pouncing position. _Well, if you won't move with psychic abilities, you'll move with force!_ Lainym felt that surge of power in her hind legs once again as she prepared her move. "Quick Attack!"

She ran in a quick zigzag approaching the hurdle. At the last moment, she jumped as high as she could toward the middle section of the hurdle. She felt the impact on her head, but a sound of wood breaking was the most audible thing.

She landed on the ground, instantly lifting up dust. Lainym coughed a little, then looked up eagerly.

The hurdle was still there. Seemingly intact, except for a small dent in its center.

Lainym growled in frustration. She intended to break that thing in half, or at least make it topple over. Was she really that weak?

Before she could just up and give up, Monnar called out to her.

"Lainym! I got it! You have to mentally push it!"

Lainym stared at him. He had already gotten through the first hurdle! Wait, what did he say?

Monnar nodded at her, which in his language meant he wanted her to watch. The young male espeon turned his attention back to the hurdle in front of him. After a few secconds, his eyes sparkled menacingly. The hurdle wobbled a bit, then fell over by itself!

Lainym could only ask one question. "H-How?"

Monnar turned toward her. "Look, you have to imagine that your psychic abilities are just like another paw or limb. You have to pretend you're just using another paw to do things!"

Lainym could only stare at him and try to comprehend the strange language he was speaking in.

Monnar frowned, as if he was thinking. He turned his attention back to the path ahead. "Just think: If you were doing this physically, what would you need to do to get through it?"

Without another word, he was already sprinting to the next hurdle. Lainym had no choice but to focus on her hurdle again.

So, what did he say again? If she was doing this physically, what would she need to do to get through the obstacles? Lainym looked up at the hurdle. What would she need to do physically...? Well, of course, she had to push it. That's it! That must be what Monnar meant by 'mentally pushing it'!

Lainym looked up to the top part of the big hurdle. If she was going to push it over, she would need to push it at the top. She focused hard on the top of the hurdle. _Imagine pushing..._

The world around suddenly started to waver, all leading to the topmost part of the hurdle. _Right there!_

Suddenly, the hurdle started to wobble. Lainym 'pushed' harder, and soon, the hurdle fell over!

Lainym stared at the fallen hurdle in disbelief. She had done it! She instantly looked behind her to tell Caidea, only to find a knocked-over hurdle.

"You're late, Nym!", a voice said to her ahead.

Lainym looked up to see Caidea smiling at her cockily and knocking over another hurdle. Monnar was almost to the second obstacle. The future leader realized she had to get a move on, but she was very far behind. But, she thought, if she could push these hurdles with ease one by one, why not try a domino effect?

Lainym again pounced, jumping over the fallen hurdle and running up to the next one. This time, she didn't stop. She imagined a big pillar, lying down horizontally, flying toward the hurdle. Lainym kept it flying with her and prepared for impact.

 _BOOM! CRACK_ _!_

To her surprise, the result was much more impressive than she thought. Once the psychic pillar made contact with the hurdle, it broke in half! To the naked eye, it would seem that Lainym was running toward the hurdle and it randomly snapped apart. But Lainym wasn't done.

She kept up the pillar, ramming through the other hurdles with ease. She had lost count of how many she had broken, when suddenly, expecting the sound of wood breaking, she heard a slightly different sound.

It sounded... like glass cracking and breaking.

She snapped out of her daze and took a look at the obstacle in front of her.

Well, it _was_ an ice wall. But considering there were broken pieces of cracked ice all over the ground, Lainym assumed it wasn't really a wall anymore. She heard a chuckle and turned to her right.

Miss Adyss stood at near the center of the small arena, but Lainym could still hear her. "Well, not quite how I expected, but good work nonetheless."

Lainym nodded at her instructor, then ran forward to face the next obstacle.

There were climbing nets. Simple enough, except they weren't touching the ground. There were two tall wooden poles, and looped around them was a net that led halfway to the ground. The rest of the net ended in two thin ropes, each stuck in the ground. The net itself was too narrow and steep, so climbing up the thin ropes was a no-go.

"Lainym! Fancy seeing you here."

Lainym turned to her right, spotting Monnar near another net. He grinned.

"You got through the hurdles and the ice wall really quickly."

Lainym turned her attention back to the net. Then, she had an idea. She wasn't sure if it would work, but she had to try. "Thanks Monnar, but I'll still beat you to this!"

The future leader focused on the bottom of the climbable net. Almost instinctively, she imagined a hook going around the rope and pulling it down. The net seemed to stretch a little.

 _Come on! Pull!_

Lainym 'pulled' harder. The more she pulled the net down, the more difficult it was to keep it down, just as if she was doing it physically. Finally, she managed to pull the next down toward her, enough so she could touch grab it with her paws, but still maintaining her psychic strength on it so it wouldn't spring back and pull her with it. However, she had a thought. If she just climbed the rest of the net, Monnar would catch on and do it faster. She could see him already starting to pull his net down like she did. She had to get through this faster than him, but the only way she could do that was... letting the net launch her over it.

The idea seemed crazy, but her long tail suggested otherwise. Didn't she read once that espeon always landed on their feet?

Wrapping her front paws around the bottom of the next, she realized that she was getting tired from holding that net in place for that long. There was only one thing to do. She took a deep breath, and let go of the imaginary hook.

The net sprung upwards, and Lainym couldn't even process what was going on, until she noticed she was in the air. She had already let go of the net without realizing it. She started to see the ground approaching soon, and she began panicking. She had to find a way to get her body upright again, but she was somersaulting through the air.

Suddenly, her tail twitched, and she changed position entirely. Lainym then started to play around with her tail, changing it ever so slightly to that her body and spine adjusted.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground, standing on all fours. Her feet hurt a little, but she kept going when she saw Monnar approaching her.

"Nice one, Lainym." The male smiled at her before dashing past her, since he could run faster than her.

They both reached the final obstacle together. The infamous long puddle of water with ropes hanging over it, very spread apart.

Lainym smirked at Monnar, and focused on the first rope. Imagining the hook again, she wrapped it around the rope and effortlessly brought it to her. Having secured both her paws around the rope, she decided the best way to get through this was to do it the Aipom way.

Walking back on her two hind legs, she swung herself over to the next rope. She thought she would be able to easily jump and reach the next one. She thought wrong.

As the rope stopped going forward, Lainym realized she was still too far from the next rope. She had no choice. She would have to try to bring the ropes to her while she was moving at the same time.

Using her body weight to increase the rope's swing, she focused on the second rope ahead. The hook started pulling the rope to her, but her grip on her rope loosened and she almost fell, breaking her concentration. Lainym gripped the rope again tightly and turned her attention back to the next rope.

 _Focus, Lainym. You can do this._

She again pictured the hook and brought the rope to her, while still maintaining a strong grip on her current rope. Finally, she managed to hold the second rope in the air and jump towards it, letting go of her current one, similar to what she did on the net. She could hear a few of a the espeon muttering a 'wow' in the distance.

"Nice try Lainym, but I'm winning this!"

Lainym turned to her side to see Monnar swinging on his rope, getting closer to her. Lainym decided to speed things up.

She kept swinging across the ropes, without stopping. But she had to admit, controlling the next rope while swinging on another was really taking a toll on her. There were so many ropes... Wait, she could see the finish line in the distance. That increased her motivation, even with Monnar being toe-to-toe with her.

She finally saw the last rope, and jumped towards it, swinging on it, jumping over the last bit of the puddle and landing painfully on the ground, along with Monnar. She was starting to see stars, similar to when Miss Adyss used Swift...

"You two! Get up! The finish line is straight ahead!"

Lainym shook her head to get rid of the dirt. Who was that? They said the finish line was right ahead. Oh! The finish line!

Monnar was already starting to get up, but Lainym was fully up now. She dashed towards the marked line, using Quick Attack every so often to boost her speed, but Monnar was always tied next to her.

The finish line was just a few feet from her...

Just a bit further...

Finally, she jumped on her long legs, gliding through the air and jumping over the finish line. That was something Monnar didn't expect, as he stopped running as soon as he crossed the finish line to avoid running into her.

Both were panting furiously now, and only realized Miss Adyss was there too when she spoke to Lainym.

"That was exemplary. Well done, Lainym! And you too, Monnar, even if it was Lainym who won."

Even between his panting, Monnar smiled at her. "Good job."

Lainym smiled back. "Thanks."

* * *

 **Whoa, what a long chapter. I promise it will get even longer now as I continue telling major events of the story. You all must be wondering when Lainym will leave Groomdusk, but mostly why. And my answer is, you'll find out at the next chapter.**


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